Monday, 7 May 2012

The Session #63: (The) Beer Moment(s)

My whole writing career has been based on the notion that there’s something about beer that is greater than the sum of the parts. There are other ways of relaxing, other alcoholic drinks, other special moments to share with friends. But my belief, after going across the world talking to beer drinkers and sharing a glass with them, is that there’s more to it.

That’s what I wanted to use my turn to host the session to explore. It’s been a fascinating experience. I deliberately wanted to set a topic that was as open and inclusive as possible (like beer itself), something unpretentious that anyone felt they could make a contribution to. And this has been borne out by the comments/contributions. I’m not sure how the 54 comments on the original post compares with other sessions, but it’s a great response. And more importantly, at least three of those commenters were contributing to The Session for the first time. Hopefully it won’t be the last, guys – you did good.

Of course, set a bunch of beer bloggers an open-ended, loosely defined topic, and the more analytical end of the spectrum will wonder, “What does he mean by that? What does he want from us? What’s his agenda? What is the technical definition of the beer moment?”

While most found my brief simple and motivating, others felt I was being obscurantist, and accused my announcement post of ‘impenetrable prose’.

Honestly, I had no agenda – other than to encourage wide participation and to focus the session on the emotions around beer rather than the definitional politics of craft beer, of which I’ve grown heartily bored. (But if you find them fascinating, then that’s OK. We don’t need to argue about it.)

So, on with the round-up.

There are a lot of comments, and I need to fit them all in, in as readable a way as I can. I’m going to mix up mentions and links if that’s OK. HUGE apologies if I miss anyone out – it wasn’t intentional.

It was a varied bag. Some people read ‘the Beer Moment’ as the need to pick just one, singular moment from a lifetime of loving beer.

Landells (another Session virgin) lists many classic moments before plumping for that common moment when “you’ve got so caught up in something that for a few minutes you’ve actually forgotten that your beer even exists but then you slowly turn to the side and your beer is sitting there, you smile, nod your head approvingly and then reach out your hand.” Derrick offers five examples, some happy, some sad, and asks us, “Could any other beverage create such a diversity of universal moments?"

THE BEER MOMENT: MANY MOMENTS, COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

Moving on from that, for most people it wasn’t about specific moments per se, it was about lots of moments that had common characteristics – and even here, those characteristics could vary.

Or it may simply be, like Wyreman (comment on original post), Nate Dawgand others, the moment is the feeling of anticipation when you order a beer, new or old, the moment before it touches your lips. Daniel made a video in which he talks about the moment the beer is poured (and also about our current moment in the evolution of beer brewing appreciation – this moment, right now – as a significant beer moment.)

For Reluctant Scoop, it's one moment later, as the first gulp slides down, expressed to perfection in this iconic film scene:

These moments may be planned or unplanned, says Bob, but the unplanned ones are often the best. Over in San Diego at the Craft Brewer’s Conference, it seems the majority would agree. Stan took a poll there, the results of which suggest any time could be the time for the perfect beer moment.

As well as relaxation, there’s inspiration – just ask Broadford Brewer, who expresses it thus:

Joe thinks this happens because the reward and relaxation, sparked by the sensations coming through taste receptors that have had this experience before, link the current beer moment to previous ones, to fond memories and associations.

DOES THE MOMENT MAKE THE BEER AND/OR DOES THE BEER MAKE THE MOMENT? AND DO DIFFERENT BEER HAVE DIFFERENT MOMENTS?

All contributors, being beer bloggers, are craft beer drinkers who would always rate tasty, crafted beers over insipid mainstream lagers. But the beer moment is not exclusive to craft beer. That doesn’t mean the beer moment equals ‘not caring about what you drink’ (see below) it just means the moment can be bigger than the beer. Ask John, whose first ever beer shared with his father was a can of Foster’s. Crap beer, still a very special moment.

Jeremy agrees – a love of craft beer doesn’t preclude special moments with ordinary beers – if the moment is right.

Of course, this is beer. And in beer there’s always someone who wants to dispute and over-analyze, and bring joy crashing back down to earth. According to Alan, the very idea of a beer moment is “just silly”, which must mean everyone mentioned above is deluded and utterly mistaken.

“Beer does not change the moment even when it is present within it. Any number of other things could be there instead,” he argues, suggesting that a cup of tea or a cigarette could just as easily have created the moments everyone has described so passionately. He actually seems to take offence at the very notion of discussing the beer moment, and decries the whole thing as a marketing construct, which is strange given that few of the scenarios above have ever appeared in beer marketing (although some obviously have).

If advertising were as powerful as Alan thinks it is, every last one of you would now be drinking Budweiser and Stella Artois, and nothing else. And you wouldn’t be as happy with beer as you obviously are. Talking about the context, the emotions and the companionship, does NOT mean you don’t care about what you drink - as many commenters have pointed out. It simply means that beer is one part of a healthy, joyful life – unless you’re someone who would just rather sit and analyze and deconstruct beer instead.

If you are one of those people (and Alan has never, before now, struck me as someone who is) I think the point of this Session is that you should get out more – you could be enjoying your beer even more than you are now.

I've had a whisky moment or two. I'm not sure I've ever had a wine moment. I've definitely never had a tea or a coffee moment, though I'm fond of both. But beer moments … ah, yes … almost as many as music moments.

Now you are really silly and, with respect, have misrepresented what I wrote. I disagree with you on your basic premise as I set out. There is no beer moment. There are moments. My take is no more over analysed than any other submission.

Just in defense of Alan (who probably doesn't need it), I think your whole final section was a little over the top, and needlessly aggressive. "which must mean everyone mentioned above is deluded and utterly mistaken" is a bit much, eh?

My understanding of what he meant is that it's not the beer that makes the moment, it's the moment itself, shared, perhaps, or on your own, and it might involve a beer, but it might just as well be a cuppa scald or the smile of your child. Anyway, he's entitled to his opinion.

Having said that, I do believe in the idea of a beer moment. I have lots of them, but not worth analysing and writing about, as they're simple things. My favourite is usually after a hard day's construction work, and a crate shared with the builders in the sun :)

Alan - if you're saying there are many 'moments', I completely agree. But your post still reads like you're very clearly saying beer brings nothing to them that any other 'break' prop couldn't bring, that it's interchangeable with a cigarette or a cup of tea. And Barry, that does stand totally at odds with what everyone else has said. So I stand by my riposte, but apologise if it comes across as overly personal or aggressive.

I don't see how I misinterpreted your original post Alan - could you explain further?

Thanks B&B, ATJ and Beer Wrangler for your submissions. I think B&B make a very good point indeed on the disagreement above - just because a kind of 'beer moment' is used extensively by marketers doesn't mean that a genuine beer moment doesn't exist. ATJ - glad I got to share your third beer moment!

Did no one describe the beer moment as "that moment in the kebab shop where you taste it again as it comes back up. That moment when the shaven headed guy with the England shirt and tattoo swings for you having taken offence at you puking on him. That blissful moment before the cops arrive to drag you all to the cells."

No worries, Pete. I just don't want to be one of the deluded, as I do think there are specific beer moments. They've been an important part of helping my integration in a new community after moving several times. :)

Thanks, Pete. I really do mean that moments are very singular things and that while I can say that beer may be present, they do not make them more momentous for me. I did also mean that the admen do take that as a theme. "Here's to good times..." is a common theme in beer ads that manipulates the relationship. Then, there is the problem that too much attention to beer spurred by the moment detracts, makes people think beer or booze is required for the moment. If that happens, it can adulterate idea of the moment.

But I honestly can look back at more cups of tea as framing that moment than I can with beer. I associate it strongly with home. I am far more conflicted about my relationship with beer. I can think of other stronger moments, too. I played old timer's soccer a few years ago and, while mid-air after being slide tackled, had a moment when I recalled that this was the feeling just before being hammered into the turf. Last weekend, while digging out shrub roots for a few hours, I got woozy because I am fat, 49 and had not worked for hours with a shovel since I was around 39. My moment was fairly particular. I did have a beer when I was finished but I also had a nap. It was the shovel, however, that made the moment.

But enough about me. Let us leave it that we used each other to illustrate each others points. But in doing so we made each others points more difficult to see for ourselves.

I've loved reading everyones take on 'the beer moment'. Not enough for a whole blog post from me but my beer moment is, when you try a great beer for the first time and you immediately have the need to share it with all your companions. You offer everyone in your crowd a taste of this wonderful beer and they in turn offer you a taste of theirs and soon the whole table of people are sharing beers and discussing their merits (or otherwise). My partner and I often chuckle at this phenomenon and note that it doesn't happen with lager drinkers!!